Humectants attract and retain moisture from the air or from nearby substances via absorption, initially drawing the water vapor into the object's surface. When used as a food additive, a humectant has the effect of keeping the food moist. A humectant is also a substance that is used to keep products preserved. Humectants are used in food products and in tobacco, and in the treatment of a variety of plant matter.
Some common humectants used in food are honey and glucose syrup, both for their water absorption and sweet flavor. Glucose syrup also helps to retain the shape of the product better than other alternatives, and for a longer period of time. In addition, some humectants are recognized as good food additives because of the nutritional value they provide, such as those with sodium hexametaphosphate.
Humectants are used in stabilization of food products and in the lengthening of shelf life through food and moisture control. Humectants affect the level of microbial activity in food products, affect their physical and sensory properties, and influence the rate of chemical change in said food products.
Humectants are used in the manufacturing of many tobacco products, such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes and rolling tobacco. They are used to control and maintain the moisture content of the cut tobacco filler and to add flavor. For this reason, humectants are vital to the creation of mass-produced cigarettes.
Examples of humectants include glycerol, propylene glycol, hexylene glycol, butylene glycol, sugar alcohols (sugar polyols) such as sorbitol, xylitol, maltitol, and honey.
Attempts have been made to humidify and preserve plant matter by juxtaposing the plant matter with unprocessed fruits and vegetables, such as apple slices, lemon slices, orange peels, carrot slices, lettuce and cabbage. Other methods include storing the plant matter inside flour tortillas or between slices of bread. Still other methods include spraying the plant matter with untreated tap water or dipping the plant matter in glycerol as a germicide.
These and other similar methods either fail to add nutrients to the plant matter, or they fail to kill fungi. Other compositions fail to rehydrate the plant matter naturally and aromatically, or they have no preservative/antifungal effect. Still other compositions are tasteless, or fail to add a pleasant aroma and taste. Other methods are caustic to the plant material. Known alternatives promote mold, bacteria and yeast.
One known humidor technique involves dipping an ordinary kitchen sponge in tap water, then placing the sponge inside a humidor box with plant matter. This method often drenches the plant matter, causing rot. Furthermore, the naked sponge-water technique allows the sponge to make direct contact with the plant matter, damaging the plant matter and increasing the likelihood of rot.
Another common method is to wet a paper towel in plain tap water, then place the wet paper towel atop a mason jar before sealing the jar with the plant matter inside. This method produces rot, and allows for no standardization/even-distribution of humidity within the jar. Furthermore, the paper towel either dries out too quickly or drops liquid directly onto the plant matter (again causing drenching-rot). Finally, even if the paper towel method substantially works on a single batch of plant matter, the plant matter will not be hydrated in a gradual fashion that promotes a pleasant aroma and taste. The paper towel method also fails to act as a preservative, as it does not kill harmful bacteria fungi, but rather promotes it.
Methods which rely on water rather than a propylene glycol-type humectant liquid also promote rot. Methods which omit a humidor disc hydrate the plant matter too quickly and over-saturate the plant matter, again promoting rot.
What is needed is a reusable, scalable method of gradually delivering a novel humectant, ester composition that gradually and consistently rehydrates, revitalizes and preserves plant matter, while adding a pleasant aroma and taste.